The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-04-27
A HORSE RANCH.
A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF HORSE
BREEDING IN MONTANA.
Ranch Life During Cold Weather.
What a Horse Camp is Like
Looking After the Ami
mals-Hardy Horses.

vile, in Custer County, Montana, cor
respondent of the New York Times says:
The lay Of the land here is peculiar and
would at once attract the attention of
man from the Eastern States. Generally
it is hilly, but there are many perfectly
level tracts, with an area of two or three
miles, small steppes, as it were, and then
there are curious cone shaped mounds en-
tirely devoid of vegetation. These
mounds have certain precise regularity
of form, and are from ten to twenty feet
high, and some ten feet wide at the base.
Within sight of the ranch are bad lands.
When these ridges are seen stretching
across the horizon they give an idea OF
sterility, but on some of these apparently
barren lands the richest grasses grow, on
which our cattle feed and take on fat and
substance.
The greater part of Custer County rises
to an elevation of $500 feet above the
level of the sea. The air is wonderfully
dry and pure, and so excellent is it that
lung troubles are quite unknown, and
coughs and colds almost unheard Of
What is good for man is good for a
beast, and, strange to say, wind-broken
horses are never met with. Cold weather
comes on gradually, and stays about three
or four weeks. In the middle of the
night and at daybreak the thermometer
will fall to 40 degrees below zero. At
midday, with the sun, the temperature
rises rapidly, so that by 10 o'clock the
thermometer will stand at from zero to
10 degrees above. You do not feel the
cold as much in Montana as in the New
England or Middle States. 1t is steady,
dry cold. Dressed warmly, you do not
care for it. With the least exercise you
entirely forget how low down is the mer-
curry. This year has been exceptional for
the continuance and depth Of the snow
fall. The severity cf the winter has
made game very abundant, and more deer
and antelopes have been killed than for
many year previous. A herd of 200 an
telopes passed within two miles of the
ranch early this month, and often see
from the house what we call here white
tail deer.
This section of Mo ntana, think, must
become the great horse raising centre of
this country. English thoroughbreds,
Kentucky trotting stock, and good
bloodcd Clydes, Normans, and Percherons
can all live here through the winter on
the open ranges. A horse camp, as it is
called in Montana, is generally inactive
during winter. Pomp of stables does
not exist. A small log house or "shack, ="
built OF cottonwood logs, storehouse,
and barn, all constructed of logs, with
a strong corral, make up horse camp.
In winter man vino is called q "horse
wrangler" remains alone in charge of the
animals. The horse wrangler only ''keeps
up" one or two horses, because horses
thus kept have to be fed on hay and
grain, both of which have to be hauled
long distance to the camp, and a horse
breeder cannot afford to feed any more
horses than is strictly necessary. nwin-
ter the horse wrangler rides over the
range, where the horses are, and keeps
count of them. Horses are more easily
handled than cattle. During bad weather
they seem to be more active, for cattle
will do what is called "hump" them
selves, launching their backs camel fash.
ion, and 50 stand motlonless and
take the storm, while horses will
move about seeking shelter. The
horse uses his feet and paws. up
the snow to feed on the herbage, while
the cattle push aside the snow with their
noses. When there is a stiff crus. of
snow cattle will soon have sore noses, and
be forced to stop feeding, whereas the
horse will find something to eat all day
long. Range horses and even cattle are
often fatter and in better condition after
q winter of an ordinary kind than ami
mails which have been "kept up" during
the same time. A good deal has been
said about the poor cattle OF the plains,
but have seen far sorricr stock turned
out in the Spring when kept during the
winter on a New England farm.
Montana horses are rarely broken be-
fore they are four or six years old, and
consequently last longer than Eastern
horses. Our animals are exceptionally
hardy, and we often ride horse 800
miles on a stretch, and all he has 10 eat is
the grass he gets while grazing at night
or while his rider is preparing his own
food. About thirty miles day in and day
out these horses will stand without any
trouble. A horse is always broken to the
saddle, and then he goes naturally into
harness. 1t takes about two weeks 10
break him thoroughly. Mares are seldom
ridden, all of them being kept for breed
ing purposes. The style of the cowboy
may not be replete with grace, but no
other rider in the world has more GER
tain seat or greater command of his horse.
He uses the left hand, and the horses are
trained to turn by the pressure of the
reins on the neck. The slightest move
ment is at once understood by the horse.
Montana is too far distant yet from
Chicago or New York to supply the horse
markets in those places now, because the
cost of transportation is too high; but
the time will come when Montana horses
will be sent to the Atlantic coast. To-
day there is a big demand for horses in
Dakota for farming purposes, and many
of our animals are sold there. There is
a marked tendency among Montana
breeders to improve their stock. Every
year better imported stock is coming.
Great attention is being paid to the pro-
duction of a..larger form of horses. The
demand for a cross. between the native
stock and good foreign one is on the
increase. A cross between the Indian
and Cayuse and well-bred stallion
makes the best horse for the "cattle out
it." In the "round up hard riding and
heavy saddles use>up great many horses,
and new and fresh horses are always
wanted to replace old aud broken down
ones. These small horses are cheaper, and
even quicker than the larger breeds, and
answer every purpose.